The computer and electronics super geek superthread...

[azrael]

Well, I tried what you suggested and still got the "not enough RAM" error.

With my company planning to get the 32-bit Vista instead of the 64-bit version, it looks like I'm screwed.

There's not much more I can say. Photoshop is a resource pig so . Firgure out what you want or need running in the background and kill the rest.

..is there a way that I can get the OS X 10.5 Leopard for my present computer Install and use it?

10.5....dunno. 10.4...better chance. You could always get a Mac Mini.

[Lindem Herz]

Okay, I have a kinda quick question. Please dont laugh at me, but I am very interested in trying out the Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, but I dont want to dump $1000+ for a laptop/desktop right now since I have a baby on the way....is there a way that I can get the OS X 10.5 Leopard for my present computer Install and use it?

I have a custom built Windows Based machine

Asus Av8 Deluxe motherboard (AGP 8X)

AMD Athlon 64 3000+(1.8 Ghz)

GeForce 7800 GS Overclocked by BFG with 256 MB DDR3 ram

2 GB PC3200 Ram

120 GB HDD

Windows XP Home with SP2

Now, is this even possible? I am totally in the dark on computers, and I would like to just run Mac OS X 10.5 without having to go out and buy one for a couple thousand dollars.

Thanks!

The Hackintosh road is hard and long, but it is worth it.

Good luck.

(Then again, if you really want to do this, better shape up those computer skills, for this might very well kill your computer if done wrong.)

Edited April 8, 2008 by Lindem Herz

[mikeszekely]

Okay, I have a kinda quick question. Please dont laugh at me, but I am very interested in trying out the Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, but I dont want to dump $1000+ for a laptop/desktop right now since I have a baby on the way....is there a way that I can get the OS X 10.5 Leopard for my present computer Install and use it?

I have a custom built Windows Based machine

Asus Av8 Deluxe motherboard (AGP 8X)

AMD Athlon 64 3000+(1.8 Ghz)

GeForce 7800 GS Overclocked by BFG with 256 MB DDR3 ram

2 GB PC3200 Ram

120 GB HDD

Windows XP Home with SP2

Now, is this even possible? I am totally in the dark on computers, and I would like to just run Mac OS X 10.5 without having to go out and buy one for a couple thousand dollars.

Thanks!

I wouldn't hold my breath. Since Apple uses pretty specific Intel processors, Mac OS expects pretty specific instruction sets. It's a little easier with 10.4 Tiger, but from what I've heard people have trouble getting laptops to run with Intel CPUs on boxes built specifically to be Hackintoshes, let alone an AMD box.

Also, even when I was running a Hackintosh, I never got it to dual-boot properly. And from the looks of your current setup, although it looks a tad old, it also looks like you gamed a bit with it? As much as I love Mac OS, I'm not going to lie, gaming and Macs don't mix. What games even do come out for Mac often come out at full price long after their PC counterpart hit the bargain bin, and require Mac Pros, MacBook Pros, or high-end iMacs to run.

You'd be better off, as Az suggested, checking out a Mac Mini. You can get a Certified Apple Refurbished Mac Mini for $430. At that size, it would likely fit on your desk with your existing set up, and a good KVM switch would allow you to use the same mouse, keyboard, and monitor (assuming you have a USB mouse and keyboard). I have an IOGear KVM switch that I really like. It supports audio too, and since my mouse and keyboard are a wireless desktop set with a single receiver, I connected my printer to the extra port. You switch by double-tapping the Scroll Lock key, and switching is instantaneous between my Vista box and my Xandros box.

[akt_m]

Not to forget that the limit of 4gb, you also have to count the VRAM.

So if you have 4gb of ram plus an off-board video card, you will have to use a 64bit OS.

[Dante74]

There's not much more I can say. Photoshop is a resource pig so . Firgure out what you want or need running in the background and kill the rest.

Not to forget that the limit of 4gb, you also have to count the VRAM.

So if you have 4gb of ram plus an off-board video card, you will have to use a 64bit OS.

The only thing I can do now is ask the IT department really nicely to get me a "custom" machine with a 64-bit OS and some extra RAM. Or I could be less ambitious with my Photoshop projects and try to make my files smaller,... NOT!

Thanks anyway guys!

[twich]

Cool, Thanks for the advice guys.....I think a Mini Mac is a good way to go, plus I can hook it up to my 32" HDTV that has a VGA in, as long as I use the extra adapter that came with my video card that changes DVI-VGA, and if eventually I get a bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth trackball, I can use those with the Mini Mac and my PS3, which I have been wanting to set up for my PS3 for a while now.

Guess I can start saving up for one of those Macbooks or iMac's to replace my present desktop setup eventually.

Twich

[lechuck]

@Dante74

Aside from the addressing limitation with 32-Bit Systems, Windows XP/Vista only gives you a max of 2GB address range

for every process (User Mode Virtual Address Range) the other 2GB is reserved for the Windows kernel and device drivers.

But it gets worse, because your application also has to share that address space with system progs/DLLs (think .NET Framework).

But you can sort of bypass this limitation by adding special start parameters for Windows.

In XP (SP2) add the following parameter in your boot.ini file: /3GB

In Vista you have to edit your BCD. Run BCDEDIT /Set IncreaseUserVA 3072 in a command prompt (as admin).

This allows individual 32-Bit processes to use up to 3GB of memory and reduces the reserved kernel space to 1GB.

You can then try and push the memory usage of CS3/Photoshop to 2.5-3GB (somewhere in Preferences I think).

BUT WARNING!!!

Doing this might cause some bad side effects, like Windows not loading any graphic drivers or not even starting up at all!

In this case you might want to tweak the User-VA.

In XP use the additional switch (boot.ini) /UserVA for e.g. /UserVA=2900 for a 2.9GB/1.1GB split.

In Vista use the previous command e.g. IncreaseUserVA 2900.

As usual, try this at your own risk.

I garantee nothing and take no responsibility for any damages/losses that might occur.

[mikeszekely]

A friend of mine saw that Newegg was having a sale on some Antec cases. He bought me a P182!

[David Hingtgen]

Ok, I just downloaded the Gattai sub of MF Ep 1, and I can't get video. (Audio's fine). The only clue I can get is that Divx says it made need a DirectShow codec, but doesn't specify. I've downloaded many a codec pack tonight, and none work. (And many have screwed up other videos---I still can't see Graham's VF-1 transformation .avi's, but everything else is finally ok).

Any suggestions? (On either what I need to SEE the Gattai sub, or Graham's VF-1 eview/transformation videos)

Sigh. My old PC had years worth of codecs added in and could play anything, but nowadays it seems places only offer all-in one packs, that overlap and mess up other ones---and rarely include the "old" ones I need for stuff saved over the years.

AVI's are just evil IMHO---even Divx/Xvid ones have issues, and if it's not one of those--good luck finding the codec you need.

::edit:: Graham's vids use MJPEG, and Quicktime can play them. But WMP used to be able to... I seem to need an H.264 for MF Ep 1, but I can't find any that aren't bundled with 500 other codecs. (Every time I try a bundle, it screws up EVERYTHING else)

[Dante74]

@Dante74

Aside from the addressing limitation with 32-Bit Systems, ...

....

As usual, try this at your own risk.

I garantee nothing and take no responsibility for any damages/losses that might occur.

Thanks lechuck! I forwarded your sollution to our IT department and I'll let them decide wether they want to try it or not. I've requested a 64-bit OS for my workstation, but I'm pretty sure I won't get it. (too much hassle for the IT guys)

[azrael]

Ok, I just downloaded the Gattai sub of MF Ep 1, and I can't get video. (Audio's fine). The only clue I can get is that Divx says it made need a DirectShow codec, but doesn't specify. I've downloaded many a codec pack tonight, and none work. (And many have screwed up other videos---I still can't see Graham's VF-1 transformation .avi's, but everything else is finally ok).

Any suggestions? (On either what I need to SEE the Gattai sub, or Graham's VF-1 eview/transformation videos)

Gattai uses a container format from Matroska. It's kind of a all-in-one codec. It contains:

- Haali Media Splitter 11-10-2005

- MatroskaMuxer 1.0.0.9

- Matroska Shell Extension 2.8

- VSFilter 2.36

- TTA 1.0.0.203

- CoreFLAC 0.4.0.46

- CoreWavpack 1.0.3

- FFDShow 15-10-2005 (decoding only)

- RealMediaSplitter 1.0.1.0

- MPEG2 Decoder v0.1.2.0

- MatroskaDiag 1.0.0.62

The bold-faced codec is what you need for video. Linky. The funny thing is, although it's used a lot now, development has been discontinued on the container format.

[Dangaioh]

does anyone know of any good scratch removers that are safe on devices such as ipods?

I let my nephew borrow my ipod for a week, later he returns it with scuffs and scratches all over it...

I've been looking at stuff like applesauce but I haven't really found any reliable reviews...

Also, he lost my case.... which is another reason why it's scratched up...

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do, other than change it with a new case. Yes, I too have an iPod and it's badly scratched up. Just FYI, here are some articles from Macworld magazine (and readers, please do not add the missing letters of "-ross").

http://www.macworld.com/article/46291/2005...atchremove.html

You may want to check out Ice Creme, it looks promising, and that's about it.

- Dangaioh

[mikeszekely]

Ok, I just downloaded the Gattai sub of MF Ep 1, and I can't get video. (Audio's fine). The only clue I can get is that Divx says it made need a DirectShow codec, but doesn't specify. I've downloaded many a codec pack tonight, and none work. (And many have screwed up other videos---I still can't see Graham's VF-1 transformation .avi's, but everything else is finally ok).

Any suggestions? (On either what I need to SEE the Gattai sub, or Graham's VF-1 eview/transformation videos)

Sigh. My old PC had years worth of codecs added in and could play anything, but nowadays it seems places only offer all-in one packs, that overlap and mess up other ones---and rarely include the "old" ones I need for stuff saved over the years.

AVI's are just evil IMHO---even Divx/Xvid ones have issues, and if it's not one of those--good luck finding the codec you need.

::edit:: Graham's vids use MJPEG, and Quicktime can play them. But WMP used to be able to... I seem to need an H.264 for MF Ep 1, but I can't find any that aren't bundled with 500 other codecs. (Every time I try a bundle, it screws up EVERYTHING else)

Hey, I like AVIs. Mostly because they play on the DVD player in the bedroom, while all these other containers floating around forced me to build a PC just to stick in my home theater.

I think Az left you a link for the specific codec you need, and I know you're once-bitten-twice-shy on codec packs, but I still recommend CCCP, and VLC Media Player over WMP.

[mikeszekely]

Not that anyone cares, but I got a new motherboard and processor today. Processor is a Wolfdale Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz, mobo is a DFI LanParty Dark P35 Series. I stuck both into an Antec P182 case. The thing's like a gleaming gunmetal obelisk. Unfortunately, I'm out of money, so I couldn't buy any of the other parts I needed. A friend brought a video card, RAM, optical drive, and a PSU, and I pulled a spare storage drive out of one of the computer this one's going to replace, and I set everything up and made sure everything fired up okay and that nothing was DOA, and it seems good. Even with just a gig of RAM, after XP was installed it goes from cold boot to Windows desktop in about 40 seconds. My friend told me I could keep the RAM, optical drive, and video card until I could afford to replace them (this friend of mine tends to pick up lots of stuff on clearance or on sale that he doesn't need, and he never throws anything out, so he doesn't need that stuff). Too bad, though, but he needed the PSU back right away.

Now the rest of my shopping list for this computer, for the people who are curious (I'm guessing none of you), will be three 1GB sticks of Kingston PC 800 RAM, a Western Digital 500GB SATA II HDD, a Pioneer dual-layer DVD burner, probably an Antec True Power Trio 650w PSU, and either a BFG, PNY, or eVGA GeForce 9800GTX.

[azrael]

Now the rest of my shopping list for this computer, for the people who are curious (I'm guessing none of you), will be three 1GB sticks of Kingston PC 800 RAM, a Western Digital 500GB SATA II HDD, a Pioneer dual-layer DVD burner, probably an Antec True Power Trio 650w PSU, and either a BFG, PNY, or eVGA GeForce 9800GTX.

The Pioneer burner is fairly cheap and might be a good buy in the short term. The other parts may require a bit more waiting.

[mikeszekely]

The Pioneer burner is fairly cheap and might be a good buy in the short term. The other parts may require a bit more waiting.

Sad but true. Unfortunately, the PSU is the part I'd say I need the most.

I bought an IDE Pioneer burner for a Lenovo I resurrected a few months back, OEM from Newegg. It'd be nice if it had LightScribe, but for $30 I wasn't going to complain. The thing's solid, fast, and quiet. I was thinking about getting a SATA one for this new build, but on the other hand, the board does have an IDE controller (right beside the 5.25" bays). I might save the SATA ports for more hard drives down the road (after all, the case does have 6 3.5" bays, and the board has six SATA ports, but there's a good chance I'll put a memory card reader in the one bay that has front-panel access).

Honestly, though, I couldn't be happier with my choices so far. Intel's really got a winner with the Wolfdale cores, and while the mobo doesn't support SLI, I'm not really interested in it (I can't afford one video card, let alone two!). I'm more interested in potential over-clocking, which this board's supposed to be great for. And while I've heard some people gripe about the P132's unconventional layout, it's got plenty of room, its modular design makes adding/removing parts a breeze, and three 120mm fans keep everything nice and cool. All I need is another $600-$650 to finish it.

*sigh* Anyone want to buy a kidney?

[grss1982]

While I've mostly been self-studying A+, I've been thinking about looking for a class that would prep me for Linux+. I've dabbled in Linux here and there, ever since I used my first Darwin Mac and entered the Terminal for the first time. Terminal is such a powerful tool, but for someone raised in DOS, I'm having trouble learning all the syntax.

Actually, I recently discovered a Linux distro I really like, as opposed to tolerate. I'm dual-booting Xandros 4 now. Yeah, I know Xandros is a little commercial for a lot of the open source crowd, but that's exactly why I like it. It has a level of professional polish that openSUSE or Kubuntu lack.

(Yeah, I don't really care for the GNOME desktop. KDE or Enlightment for me).

I'm new to Linux as well, AND just like you I prefer KDE-based distros over GNOME-based ones. Since I'm on KDE there are actually just two distros that I dabble with: Simply MEPIS and PCLinuxOS 2007. I've tried GNOME-based though: Ubuntu (6.06, 7.04 & 8.04) & Linux Mint 3.

Don't know why but I prefer KDE-based distros more than anythin else. Must be because I was weaned on Windoze.

BTW, is there no trial version of Xandros 4? I've seen it installed in an ACER machine on display in one of the stores here in my locality and it seemed promising.

[HoveringCheesecake]

Any digital camera geeks here? I'm trying to decide between a Canon Powershot and a Sony Cybershot.

[azrael]

Any digital camera geeks here? I'm trying to decide between a Canon Powershot and a Sony Cybershot.

Any particular model out of the 2 model lines?

[mikeszekely]

I'm new to Linux as well, AND just like you I prefer KDE-based distros over GNOME-based ones. Since I'm on KDE there are actually just two distros that I dabble with: Simply MEPIS and PCLinuxOS 2007. I've tried GNOME-based though: Ubuntu (6.06, 7.04 & 8.04) & Linux Mint 3.

Don't know why but I prefer KDE-based distros more than anythin else. Must be because I was weaned on Windoze.

BTW, is there no trial version of Xandros 4? I've seen it installed in an ACER machine on display in one of the stores here in my locality and it seemed promising.

Do a Google search for Xandros 4 OCE. Xandros is kind of mum about it, since they want you to buy it, but there is an open edition out there. I also found a 30-day trial version of Xandros 4 Professional on one of the bittorrent sites.

My wife went to visit her family in China, and she wanted to IM me while she was there. I don't want Yahoo on my computers anymore, since Yahoo Messenger has become irritating with recent revisions, so I decided to use Kopete. My trial of Xandros 4 Pro was up, so I needed something fast, and I went with Kubuntu (basically, Ubuntu with KDE as the default instead of GNOME). Version 8.04 just came out, and it's a new LTS version. Last time I tried Kubuntu, it was their previous LTS version, 6.06. I really did like it a lot, but I found Xandros to be a little easier to install on a Windows PC and a little more polished than Kubuntu 6.06, but 8.04 I think addressed A LOT of the concerns I had with 6.06. I'd recommend it. I installed it instead of going back to Xandros 4 OCE. It's a lot easier to get software for and customize than Xandros, but it installs just as easily.

What's more, if you want to dabble with other desktops, you can use the Adept Manager to download other desktops. On the login screen, you can pick which desktop you want from the Sessions menu. I have KDE 3.5, KDE 4, GNOME, and XFCE all installed. GNOME is a little sparse for my tastes, XFCE strikes me as a watered-down GNOME, and while KDE 4 is certainly very slick-looking, it's a little buggy still. So I usually use KDE 3. I just changed the icons, the kicker, and replaced the KMenu with KBFX, and honestly it looks as nice as KDE 4.

[mikeszekely]

Any digital camera geeks here? I'm trying to decide between a Canon Powershot and a Sony Cybershot.

I say this as someone who's used both in the past, but both are really good brands. I'd say you narrowed it down to the two of the three brands I'd consider in the future (the other being Nikon, if I had the money for one of their high end units). If I was buying a new one today, though, I'd lean toward Canon. I think both brands are fairly equal in terms of quality and features, so the deal breaker would be the fact that SD cards are cheaper than Memory Stick Duos.

[HoveringCheesecake]

Any particular model out of the 2 model lines?

Canon Powershot SD870 IS or SD1100 IS vs. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W150 or W170.

Mike - Sony doesn't use SD cards? If they don't that is a deal breaker.

[Beltane70]

Nope, Sony uses Memory Sticks. As typical with Sony, they just have to have their own media.

[mikeszekely]

Nope, Sony uses Memory Sticks. As typical with Sony, they just have to have their own media.

Right. In Sony's defense, when they started developing Memory Sticks, Compact Flash was the market leader, and CF was just begging to be replaced. The cards, while small for a floppy, have thus far been the largest form factor for portable flash storage, and the pins on devices that use CF cards are easily bent and broken. But SD's really become the de facto standard since then, and as it's a bit cheaper than Sony's Memory Stick Duos, go with Canon unless you have a lot of other devices that share Memory Sticks. Like I had a VAIO computer with a Memory Stick reader, and my in-laws gave us a CyberShot, so it wasn't a big deal then. Now, though, my HTPC has slots for anything, my PDA wants SD, my Wii wants SD, my wife's laptop wants SD, the PS3 can do either, and I'm sure when I'm doing building my new desktop it'll have a card reader.

[HoveringCheesecake]

Right. In Sony's defense, when they started developing Memory Sticks, Compact Flash was the market leader, and CF was just begging to be replaced. The cards, while small for a floppy, have thus far been the largest form factor for portable flash storage, and the pins on devices that use CF cards are easily bent and broken. But SD's really become the de facto standard since then, and as it's a bit cheaper than Sony's Memory Stick Duos, go with Canon unless you have a lot of other devices that share Memory Sticks. Like I had a VAIO computer with a Memory Stick reader, and my in-laws gave us a CyberShot, so it wasn't a big deal then. Now, though, my HTPC has slots for anything, my PDA wants SD, my Wii wants SD, my wife's laptop wants SD, the PS3 can do either, and I'm sure when I'm doing building my new desktop it'll have a card reader.

Wow. Thanks for the heads up, I had no idea.

Do you have any preference between the Canon Powershot SD870 IS and the SD1100 IS? The 870 is a little more expensive but the 1100 is more compact. Here's some links with reviews and specs if you don't mind taking a look. This will be my first digital camera so I'm kind of clueless.

http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/digital...lay=priceDetail

http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/digital...lay=priceDetail

[David Hingtgen]

I spent quite a while researching my camera. As photographing planes up in the air was a high priority, I put a lot of weight in "biggest zoom I can afford". Having read stuff, IMHO the most important factor in "image quality" is actually "how many megapixels are SQUEEZED into a given sensor size". Fewer is better. The $5000 cameras of the world? They are not "34 megapixels" for their excellent pic quality. They are like 5 or 6 megapixels, but on a BIGGER SENSOR, for fewer pixels on a given sensor size. Trying to squeeze a zillion pixels onto a small sensor is what makes noise. (I went with big zoom, and fewest pixels----my choice was borne out by the latest revised model of my camera being nigh-identical to mine, except one more megapixel---and the overall pic quality of the new model went down because of it---they squeezed too many pixels on that sensor--but it sells better because the masses like that 1 extra megapixel listed on the box)

The main differences between those two Canons (I have an S3IS btw) are the zoom and megapixels. Sensor size is the same. The 870 has a better zoom (3.8 vs 3) but slightly more "pixels on the sensor" (8 vs 7).

If I had to guess, I'd say the 1100 would take slightly higher quality images. But a 3.8 zoom is a decent step over 3.

The short version of digicamera buying? Get the biggest CCD/sensor you can combined with the lowest megapixel count for that sensor size. That'll give raw quality. Plus--big lens. More glass is better. Just go by sheer looks--what camera "shows the most glass" when you look at it from the front? More glass=more light=more quality.

[HoveringCheesecake]

I spent quite a while researching my camera. As photographing planes up in the air was a high priority, I put a lot of weight in "biggest zoom I can afford". Having read stuff, IMHO the most important factor in "image quality" is actually "how many megapixels are SQUEEZED into a given sensor size". Fewer is better. The $5000 cameras of the world? They are not "34 megapixels" for their excellent pic quality. They are like 5 or 6 megapixels, but on a BIGGER SENSOR, for fewer pixels on a given sensor size. Trying to squeeze a zillion pixels onto a small sensor is what makes noise. (I went with big zoom, and fewest pixels----my choice was borne out by the latest revised model of my camera being nigh-identical to mine, except one more megapixel---and the overall pic quality of the new model went down because of it---they squeezed too many pixels on that sensor--but it sells better because the masses like that 1 extra megapixel listed on the box)

The main differences between those two Canons (I have an S3IS btw) are the zoom and megapixels. Sensor size is the same. The 870 has a better zoom (3.8 vs 3) but slightly more "pixels on the sensor" (8 vs 7).

If I had to guess, I'd say the 1100 would take slightly higher quality images. But a 3.8 zoom is a decent step over 3.

The short version of digicamera buying? Get the biggest CCD/sensor you can combined with the lowest megapixel count for that sensor size. That'll give raw quality. Plus--big lens. More glass is better. Just go by sheer looks--what camera "shows the most glass" when you look at it from the front? More glass=more light=more quality.

How do you tell the size of the sensor? And I'll admit that I thought that more megapixels = better pictures up until yesterday. Oops! Another camera I was looking at was the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 with super 10x zoom, but I'm more impressed with the Canons and the Panasonic is quite large in comparison.

[David Hingtgen]

You want DPreview.com They are insanely detailed in their reviews. Seriously, 20+ pages on "notable" cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd870is/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd1100is/

I also like imaging resource: http://www.imaging-resource.com/MFR1.HTM?view=Canon_reviews

Info on sensor size: http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/key=sensor%20sizes

[mikeszekely]

I think David's got the camera stuff covered pretty good.

In other news, I know I ran out of money, but a friend of mine bought parts out of my old VAIO (after five years of faithful service, it's officially gone), and I got an Antec TruePower Trio on clearance at Best Buy. So, my new computer is up and running, albeit with borrowed RAM, a borrowed DVD-ROM, and a borrowed video card (although I managed to come up with a PCIe x16 GeForce 8500 for that), so for now it's my Linux box. After my wife gets home and the need for IM software goes away, I'll probably swap the hard drives and the optical drives in the new box and Lenovo, then go back to saving for RAM, a newer HDD, and a new video card.

[HoveringCheesecake]

You want DPreview.com They are insanely detailed in their reviews. Seriously, 20+ pages on "notable" cameras.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd870is/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd1100is/

I also like imaging resource: http://www.imaging-resource.com/MFR1.HTM?view=Canon_reviews

Info on sensor size: http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/key=sensor%20sizes

Thanks. I'll just get whichever one feels the best in the store.

Did you end up getting a SLR then?

Edited May 16, 2008 by meh_cd

[David Hingtgen]

No, can't afford those, plus they're more conspicuous. When photographing airliners nowadays, security/cops frown upon people with BIG cameras with BIG lenses. (and even MP's at airshows) One of the nifty features of mine is that the zoom is "internal" so that even at 12x zoom, the lens doesn't protrude any further than when the camera's zoomed out. Much less "imposing" than 3+ inches of lens sticking out. It's a "large compact", which is just below the mini-SLR category.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_s3is.asp

I'm probably one of the few people that has "needs to look like a common tourist with a typical family-photo camera" as a requirement.

[Dante74]

Anyone know where I can find OLD ATI drivers for a Mobility Radeon 9700?

I got an old Viao(european model; VGN-S2XP from 2004) with a Radeon 9700 card running on XP Pro and it won't work properly. When I install the latest driver from the AIT site it "blue screens" on me. I got it working after installing SP3 and selecting microsofts Radeon 9700/9500 drivers tht came with the SP3 driver list. but it's still running like the card can't keep up with the mouse movements. I plan on using it as a download PC so it's not to big of a deal, but it'd be nice if it ran properly.

[azrael]

Anyone know where I can find OLD ATI drivers for a Mobility Radeon 9700?

I got an old Viao(european model; VGN-S2XP from 2004) with a Radeon 9700 card running on XP Pro and it won't work properly. When I install the latest driver from the AIT site it "blue screens" on me. I got it working after installing SP3 and selecting microsofts Radeon 9700/9500 drivers tht came with the SP3 driver list. but it's still running like the card can't keep up with the mouse movements. I plan on using it as a download PC so it's not to big of a deal, but it'd be nice if it ran properly.

Mobility 8.3 drivers

Mobility 8.2 drivers

[VF-19]

I spent quite a while researching my camera. As photographing planes up in the air was a high priority, I put a lot of weight in "biggest zoom I can afford".

On the topic of "biggest zoom I can afford", here's mine:

1000 mm F10. The thing peeking out the back is the camera.

This won't so much as capture the plane, but to get the pilot's portrait!

[Morpheus]

Anyone know how to make Matshushita DVD-RAM UJ-85 JS region free? It appears mine has been locked to region 1.